Vice-Minister for International Affairs Matsuo Attends IEA Ministerial Meeting

1. IEA Ministerial Meeting

From Wednesday, February 18, through Thursday, February 19, Vice-Minister Matsuo attended the IEA Ministerial Meeting. More than 60 countries, including IEA members, and over 50 companies and related organizations attended the meeting to discuss topics such as energy security—which is the IEA’s core mission—as well as ensuring the affordability, inclusiveness, and resilience of energy systems, and expanding IEA membership.

Vice-Minister Matsuo (1) chaired the session on nuclear energy and led discussions aimed at strengthening finance, supply chains, and human resources. He also shared his views on (2) securing energy supply through investment and government involvement amid growing global energy demand driven by the expansion of data centers and AI, (3) strengthening energy systems by ensuring redundancy and diversifying supply chains in response to increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, and (4) pursuing realistic approaches toward global decarbonation, including in non-IEA member countries, particularly in Asia.

As a result of the meeting, a Ministerial Declaration supporting the IEA’s work on critical minerals security was adopted as the outcome document, and the Netherlands, as Chair, issued the 2026 IEA Ministerial Chair's Summary.

• 2026 IEA Ministerial Declaration Supporting the IEA’s Work on Critical Minerals Security
• 2026 IEA Ministerial Chair's Summary

2. Meetings with Representatives from Participating Countries

(1) Meeting with Mr. Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy of Poland

On Thursday, February 19, Vice-Minister Matsuo held a meeting with Mr. Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy of Poland, and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in areas including nuclear energy and LNG.

(2) Meeting with Mr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA

On Thursday, February 19, Vice-Minister Matsuo held a meeting with Mr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, and confirmed the importance of the IEA’s role in strengthening energy security, among other matters.

Division in Charge

International Affairs Division, Commissioner's Secretariat, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy